Rockets Ready 3-Year Offer for Marcus Smart After $5.4 Million Option Decline

Q: With Kawhi Leonard's market shrinking, which dark-horse team could swoop in with a surprise trade?

The likeliest dark-horse is the Golden State Warriors, with Dallas a less likely fallback. Toronto is the team most frequently linked to Leonard because he is reportedly willing to sign an extension there, and that has narrowed the field. Dallas, which had shown interest, is now described as no longer a viable landing spot in the latest reporting. That makes any non-Raptors bidder a surprise by definition. Golden State fits that description best because additional reporting says the Warriors have had prior interest in Leonard and still have the motivation and draft control to chase a major win-now upgrade around Stephen Curry. If the Clippers want to stay competitive while getting younger, Golden State could at least explore a package built around rotation talent and picks, even if it is not the cleanest fit compared with Toronto’s Brandon Ingram-centered framework. Dallas remains worth mentioning only as a deeper long shot because earlier outside reporting tied the Mavericks to exploratory talks involving P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson and draft compensation, with the Masai Ujiri connection adding intrigue. But that scenario is undercut by the latest update that Dallas is no longer viewed as a realistic destination. So if Leonard’s market keeps shrinking beyond Toronto, Golden State looks like the most plausible surprise team to jump in.

3 articles · Updated · hoopsrumors.com · Jun 29

Houston is preparing to offer Marcus Smart a three-year deal Tuesday after the Lakers guard is expected to decline his $5.4 million player option Monday.
48 hours after first linking Smart to the Rockets, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer said Houston's pursuit is sounding more serious, while The Athletic's Dan Woike also reported strong league chatter.
The report places Smart at the center of a busy market as Brooklyn and the Lakers track Mitchell Robinson, Sacramento explores cap-clearing moves, and Boston weighs Kevon Looney or a Robert Williams reunion for frontcourt depth.
Elsewhere, the same Stein Line update said Toronto remains the team most often tied to Kawhi Leonard, with the Clippers still considering cap-space routes while trying to stay competitive if they move him.